Polar Programs
Inactive
- Assistance listing
- 47.078
- Agency
-
National Science Foundation
- Grant awards
- 6,258 $2,592,221,688 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Assistance types
-
- Project Grant
- Cooperative Agreement
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The National Science Foundation funds basic and applied research that expands fundamental knowledge of the Arctic and Antarctic polar regions, CFDA 47.078, with the most recent award dated June 1, 2027. Program activity remains steady but declining: the portfolio spans 6,258 total awards from August 1995 through June 2027, with recent annual volume dropping from 180 awards in 2023 to just 77 in 2026 and 3 in 2027 year-to-date. The source reports no currently open grant opportunities specific to this program; opportunities listed in the recent-opportunities block are generic NSF solicitations open across multiple programs and directorates.
The program funds concrete polar research activities: ice sheet and glacier dynamics including terminus change and mass balance modeling; paleoclimate reconstruction from ice cores, seafloor sediments, and ocean chemistry; Arctic and Antarctic oceanography including circulation, biogeochemistry, and carbon cycling; polar atmospheric and space weather phenomena; cryospheric field observations and instrument deployment; and ecosystem studies of polar species and communities. Recent representative awards illustrate breadth: NSF funded $1.8 million to operate lidar observations of the Earth-space transition at McMurdo Station for four years; $980 thousand for automated glacier terminus detection from satellite data in Greenland using machine learning; $877 thousand for Adélie penguin population tracking in Antarctica; and $665 thousand for Arctic phytoplankton responses to environmental change.
Assistance type is overwhelmingly Project Grant (99 percent, 6,221 awards), with a small share of Cooperative Agreements (1 percent, 37 awards). NSF dominates funding: the National Science Foundation as a whole obligated $1.9 billion across 5,212 awards. Within NSF, the Division of Polar Programs led with $608.9 million across 971 awards, and specialized divisions (Physics, Environmental Biology, Integrative Organismal Systems, Materials Research) accounted for smaller shares, indicating the program's cross-disciplinary reach. Twenty-two distinct funding federal agencies participated overall.
Combined federal dollars obligated total $2.59 billion; combined total obligated (including non-federal cost-share) is $2.61 billion, indicating minimal mandatory matching or cost-share contribution. Award magnitudes span from under $30 thousand for conference support to $2 million for cooperative agreement infrastructure. The portfolio includes international partnerships and cooperative awards with UK counterparts (NSF-NERC joint funding).
Objective and description
- Objective
To strengthen and enhance the national scientific enterprise through the expansion of fundamental knowledge and increased understanding of the polar regions. To encourage and support basic research that is best conducted in or can only be conducted i
Grant opportunities
Show all 23
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 6,258 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University Of Alaska Fairbanks | $196,247,091 | 8% |
| 2 | University Of Wisconsin System | $152,539,925 | 6% |
| 3 | The Regents Of The University Of Colorado | $94,331,530 | 4% |
| 4 | University Of Washington | $89,276,202 | 3% |
| 5 | Oregon State University | $70,141,841 | 3% |
| 6 | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution | $65,044,765 | 3% |
| 7 | University Of California San Diego | $54,020,134 | 2% |
| 8 | The University Of Chicago | $52,303,399 | 2% |
| 9 | The Trustees Of Columbia University In The City Of New York | $50,363,306 | 2% |
| 10 | Trustees Of Dartmouth College | $42,886,520 | 2% |
10 of 435 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | $53,439,968 |
| FY2025 | $111,165,201 |
| FY2024 | $94,479,697 |
| FY2023 | $114,474,412 |
| FY2022 | $117,819,809 |
| FY2021 | $145,128,183 |
| FY2020 | $135,867,939 |
| FY2019 | $5,257,145 |
| FY2018 | $9,738,249 |
| FY2017 | $9,141,334 |
| FY2016 | $552,185,331 |
| FY2015 | $618,744,393 |
| FY2014 | $698,525,728 |
| FY2013 | $34,527,515 |
| FY2012 | $124,851,971 |
| FY2011 | $139,287,395 |
| FY2010 | $126,995,931 |
| FY2009 | $146,494,048 |
| FY2008 | $128,657,616 |
| FY2007 | $144,675,880 |
| FY2006 | $152,166,214 |
| FY2005 | $135,828,618 |
| FY2004 | $103,537,428 |
| FY2003 | $113,145,777 |
| FY2002 | $51,815,863 |
| FY2001 | $34,677,404 |
Show all 26
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 47.078?
Assistance Listing 47.078 is Polar Programs, a federal grant program run by National Science Foundation. It is inactive.
What is the CFDA number for Polar Programs?
Its CFDA number is 47.078: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 47.078 awarded?
6,258 grant awards under 47.078 have obligated $2,592,221,688 in federal funds to 435 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 47.078?
The recipients obligated the most under Polar Programs are University Of Alaska Fairbanks ($196,247,091), University Of Wisconsin System ($152,539,925) and The Regents Of The University Of Colorado ($94,331,530).
How much did 47.078 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 47.078 obligated $111,165,201 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 47.078?
5 listed opportunities under 47.078 are open or forecasted. The latest, National Science Foundation National Innovation Corps Teams (NSF National I-CorpsTM Teams) Program, was posted on September 26, 2025.
On GovTribe
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